Curiosity is a wonderful thing. But it can make us so hungry for more knowledge and skills that we feel saturated. Responsibility can make us cram in so much learning that we feel bloated. And integrity can overwhelm us with the expectation we need to integrate it all into our practice.
Or maybe that’s just me. But if it sounds familiar, we can ask ourselves what can I learn again? What do I already know is valuable and could do just a bit better? What good foundations can I build on? What could I refresh or revive?
We can do the familiar with more intention. Do the usual with a little more pause and consideration. We can return to old gems and breathe new life into them with a little more depth from what we know now. We can practice ways to sustain the good things we do that tend to fade under pressure.
Of course, we’ll keep learning new things. It’s necessary. And it’s rewarding. But let’s leave room to rediscover what we already know. Just because we’ve met it before doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile meeting it again. And again.
For myself, I could do a lot worse than to keep coming back to speaking less, listening more and evoking what the other person already knows but might also be ready to learn again.
Helen Mentha 